Su3ub (صُعُب) - to get more difficult
shaaf (شاف) - to see
3azar (عذر) - to excuse and sympathize with, to pardon

After that vocab filled Lesson 13, I thought it was time to do a song that reviews some things you already know. This lesson centers on the song "ana mish ba3iid (انا مش بعيد)" by Medhat Saleh, an Egyptian pop singer of the generation of Amr Diab. The title, which means "I am Not Far," refers to the awkward situation in the song in which the two lovers are estranged from one another despite their close proximity. Take a listen and read along.

Of course we know the word "Sa3ab (صعب)" to mean "hard" or "difficult." At the beginning of the sentence, it takes the meaning of "it's hard." Here we have a little bit of an idiomatic phrase. As we know, the verb "gah (جه)" means "to come." "tiigi al-3ayn (تيجي)" means "the eye comes." However for one eye to come to another eye or "tiigi al-3ayn fi al-3ayn (تيجي العين في العين)" means "the eye comes in the eye" but really "the eye meets the eye" or here in this context "my eye meets yours," so the line could be translated as "it's hard to make our eyes meet."

Here comes the chorus:

يمكن قدامي ومش طايلك

Remember the word "'udaam (قدام)" meaning "in front of." The word "Taayil (طايل)" is from the verb "Taal (طال)" which has many meanings. Just know that "Taayil (طايل)" here means "getting to" or maybe "reaching." So he says, "maybe you're in front of me and I'm not getting to you." In keeping with the theme of the song, they are right there with each other but it seems like they are miles apart.

Next line:

بس انا فى القلب اكيد شايلك

These are all words you know. If you're having trouble understanding, consult the Egyptian Arabic Vocabulary provided on this site.

مهما اتعب وطريقى هيصعب جاي لك فى ميعادى

First the unclear words. The verb "Su3ub (صُعُب)" means "to become more difficult." So "mahma it3ab wa Tarii'i hayiS3ab (مهما اتعب وطريقي هيصعب)" means 'no matter how tired I get and how hard my road gets." The word "maw3id (موعد)" is "date" or "appointment." The plural is "mii3aad (ميعاد)." "gaay lik fi mii3aadi (جايلك في ميعادي)" means like "I'm coming to you in my appointment" or "I'm coming to you on time," meaning essentially that he will be there when he needs to be.

Next verse:

ايوة شايفك وانتى لا

Might look a little weird, but it just means "yes, I see you and you don't (see me)."

Next line:

بس بكره هتشوفينى

Did you get it?

Here is the continuation of the last line:

وتعرفى اننا ليا حق

"And you'll know I'm right."

Next line:

واكيد ساعتها هتعزرينى

The verb "3azar (عذر)" means "to excuse and sympathize with." "saa3itha (ساعتها)" means something like "at the same time" or "then and there." So the whole thing means, "for sure, then and there, you'll excuse me and sympathize with me," meaning she'll understand and forgive him.

Understood? Go back an listen again and again to ingrain the chorus into your head, as was done to me once in a Cairo internet cafe (the owner played this song over and over for like a half hour). Maybe this lesson was easy, but the next one is even easier and will show how much progress you've made! Lesson 15: انت معايا